Originally Posted by MizMelly

Thanks Kiffie, I never thought about that but you are right! Esmeralda is sporting a cool quilt design on her shell. If you look close, you can see a healed over crack on the side. I found her roaming through my front yard when she was just a little tyke (about 5 years old). My friend who is a wildlife biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service said it looked like she got stepped on as a baby. Anyway, she will always have that healed crack. I should make a provision for her in my will. Did you know that Desert Tortoises can live up to 150 years? Especially those in captivity. We estimate that Esmeralda is somewhere's close to 12 years old, and quite large since she's been in captivity since a hatchling. It's hard to say if she was illegally picked up in the desert or just escaped from someone's yard. They are endangered in the wild.
Anyway, she's loving all the lovely wet weather we're having! And I live on higher ground, so no worries about flooding. (tortoises can't swim)!!
That's my nature lecture for the day!